The team of Abe, Ethan and Owen won this year's Charity on Church wiffleball tournament over the weekend. (Photo via Jeremy Boylan).
The annual Charity on Church event returned this past weekend after being in hiatus due to the pandemic.
The community fundraising event, which is a wiffleball tournament with unique rules, has been taking place in the backyard of Jeremy Milligan’s house on Church Street since 2018.
Community members participate in the annual Charity on Church wiffleball tournament over the weekend. (Photo by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner/Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
Community members participate in the annual Charity on Church wiffleball tournament over the weekend. (Photo by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner/Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
According to Milligan, the concept for the local event came from a tournament in Painted Post. Milligan noted the tournament in Painted Post, which started about 30 years ago, is an annual weekend-long event that raises money for charity.
“(The tournament) has gotten so big it ends up raising five digits annually,” he added.
Jeremy Boylan, who used to compete in the Painted Post tournament, told Milligan that his backyard is “great for this sort of tournament.” Thus, the Charity on Church tournament began.
Milligan noted the local tournament attracts between 14-16 teams per year. This year, it brought in about a dozen teams, he added.
“It’s pretty simple and the games move quickly,” Milligan said.
Community members participate in the annual Charity on Church wiffleball tournament over the weekend. (Photo by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner/Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
Community members participate in the annual Charity on Church wiffleball tournament over the weekend. (Photo by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner/Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
Boylan noted via email that the proceeds from this year’s tournament will be donated to Homer Little League and Crown City Little League. This year’s winner, which was the team of Abe, Ethan and Owen, will select next year’s charity recipient.
“It’s a great way to kind of end summer. It’s an event where there’s a lot of parents and kids playing on the same team and playing against each other,” Milligan said. “We’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”
